Owner of popular Collinsville restaurant, distillery details expansion project
Since reporting last week that Old Herald Brewery & Distillery is embarking on an expansion and redevelopment project, I was able to meet with owner Derik Reiser to talk about his plans.
And they are very impressive.
“This has got huge potential,” said Reiser.
The Herald Square project includes the addition of an entertainment pavilion, an independent custard shop and a restroom building.
Reiser refers to this as “Phase One,” and the work has begun.
Anyone passing by will see the big blue storage box that Reiser says will become the outdoor restroom.
A second container that will become Uptown Scoops is also on the site (behind the Old Herald building) and is already being transformed into the custard shop.
Windows have already been cut, and the structure will be nearly finished when it’s placed in position on the corner of East Clay Street and North Morrison Avenue.
Uptown Scoops will feature frozen custards and freshly baked cookies, according to owner Donna Green.
Green was approached by Reiser, who thought that an ice cream business would go over well with guests.
“We’ve [gotten] to know her the last few years,” said Reiser.
Reiser said he had spoken to Green, who is active in the Collinsville community, about the processes involved in developing a business and redevelopment.
He said Green planned to start a small business on St. Louis Street, offering a café experience. Reiser said those plans fell through, so he approached her about joining the Herald Square project.
Done and done.
By the time Uptown Scoops opens (Green is aiming for mid-May), Reiser said they’ll be putting the finishing touches on Phase One, which will include landscaping.
If you’ve spent time on the patio at Old Herald, you may have noticed the herb garden they had. I asked Reiser about that, and he said a relocated herb garden would be included in the landscaping plans.
Old Herald goes through a lot of fresh basil, said Reiser. Once the new garden is established, herbs will continue to be picked as needed for the freshest flavors possible.
Reiser aims to open by the first weekend in June for the International Horseradish Festival and the NASCAR Cup Series event the same weekend in Madison.
He also plans to add a farmers market in mid- or late June and wants to help bring back the catsup bottle festival, which last took place in 2017.
Reiser wants to host festivals all year long.
“When we get this completed … we’ll start focusing on building next door,” said Reiser.
Herald Square: Phase Two
“Building next door” is Phase Two of the Herald Square project.
Reiser walked me through the building to see the various spaces and talk about his plans. Our first stop was in what will become The Sports Page Lounge, the name in keeping with Old Herald’s newspaper theme (*smiles*).
(The Sports Page is also the name of a seasonal beer at Old Herald. Once the Lounge opens, it will be around all year.)
Located between the existing barber shop and Old Herald, The Sports Page Lounge will be an intimate Collinsville sports-themed space with large flat screen TVs for folks to gather and cheer on the local teams.
The Lounge will include a small kitchen extension with a service window that’ll be connected to the Old Herald’s existing kitchen. Guests at the Lounge can enjoy the same high-quality food on the Old Herald menu.
Reiser would like to keep as many of the original structural elements as possible, including the tin ceiling tiles.
There’s also a metal shelving unit full of cubby holes that Reiser hopes to repurpose. He thinks that maybe they can give a cubbyhole to regular guests.
“We have a lot of local guests,” said Resier. There could be small surprises waiting for them.
Unfortunately the floor tiles are beyond saving. The nine-by-nine-inch pink (maybe they were red and faded over time?) and black tiles really stand out, but too many of them are broken.
Given the age of the building, Reiser believes they’re the old asbestos tiles and for that reason will need to be removed anyway.
Reiser would like to repurpose an old gymnasium floor to replace those tiles. He’s already purchased an old school (not “oldschool”) scoreboard for the space.
The Lounge will also be able to stay open later than Old Herald so guests can enjoy sporting events that take place later in the evening.
Our next stop was the future event space. It’s huge!
The future event space is located in what used to be the Habitat for Humanity ReStore shop at the back of the building behind the sports lounge, the barber shop AND the front retail space.
Old Herald will be able to host far more guests than it can in its current space, which Reiser says can comfortably accommodate only 60-65 people.
The current space limits the number of people that can attend tastings or sit-down dinners. Because so many are often interested in an event, Reiser said they will extend events an additional day or two, allowing more to attend.
With the new, larger space, they can host one large event, preferably on a day that Old Herald isn’t open.
Reiser hopes to host larger events like wedding receptions, local sports team banquets and other sit-down dining or tasting events.
There will be a pass-through area from the current kitchen to streamline prepping and plating for events. Reiser said the division of the event area from Old Herald will also help keep school-related events alcohol-free.
The previous Landstar office on the corner of East Clay and North Center streets will become a retail boutique space.
Reiser doesn’t have specific plans for the shop just yet, but he’s hoping for something “unique and complementary” to the rest of the block.
Reiser said he plans to start Phase Two of the Herald Square project this fall, but it’s still too early to have projected opening dates.
He also mentioned that he does have a couple of potential partners for the redevelopment.
Here’s to looking forward to seeing what happens next.
For updates and information about Old Herald Brewery & Distillery, visit oldheraldbrewing.com and the Facebook page.
This story was originally published March 21, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
